Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Incite PPR £15.50 bought in sale for £5

Me and Laura fell in love with this on a shopping tip just before Christmas. We had lots of fun playing with the pigments and swatching them before settling on this little baby. To be warned it does have a lot and I mean lot of fallout, the only way I have reduces this to to slowly build up the look to the desired coverage and only put the smallest amount on the brush that I can.

However even with a little fallout, it you lightly rub the fallout over the top of the cheeks you can get a nice highlight/sheen effect. The color is great of its own or to bring a more warm look to a darker make up. For me the gold really helps to bring out the color in my eyes. The pigment is super soft, not what you'd typically expect from colored glitter, but it is. It glides on, is ridiculously easy to blend and a little goes a long way. It's rare for me to find a high end product that I can not compare to a high street range, but this is just in a league of its own.

I will be purchasing more once I run out, but hopefully with the little amount you need to use that won't be for a long long time!

Maybelline 24hr Super Stay Color in Plum Seduction (240) RRP £8.99

This Like the 14hr does what it said but not for quite as long, I'd put this at a 14hr limit, and it does loose shine after about 7 hours, but saying that - once its on and dry it takes a lot to remove it, such slight transfer as for it to be almost imperceivable. To keep the shine going you need to keep using the balm.

The wand is the most unfortunate thing in this as it does not pick up a lot of the color and so it took me a while to cover my lips to get the desired effect, I left it about 5 minutes to dry in, which in that time it makes the lips feel gloopy and dry and then I added the glossy conditioning balm, which is an amazing relief to the lips after waiting 5 mins and being dried out.

I ate a meal, drank a drink and still this was on my lips and not budging, I just lost the shine, This is more than adequate for an all day wear, and to be honest as it starts life as a gloss I'm pretty much in awe by the staying power, If all lipsticks and glosses could last this long then they would be worth paying more for!

Natural Collection Eye Shadow in Barley from Boots RRP £1.79

This is a lot more pigmented that it looks in its little case, but once its out its beautiful, Its a champagne with gold to warm it up more and the fall out is non existent. I really picked this up on a whim, I have lots of gold tones from illamasqua's pure pigment (review soon) to MUA's undress me and undress me too pallettes which hold a lot of gold tones it it. however the fallout from these is always pretty high, even when you go carefully. The only bonus with fallout from gold tones is that when you rub into the top of your cheeks you can get a highlight effect look without adding anything else.

If Pigment/glitter is not your thing or you only like a little, then the good news is that this is completely buildable, and the picture is after 3 coats, and only looks quite so bright due to the flash of my camera, It's soft and easy to blend as well as a really natural and complementary shade to add to anyone's collection, and for only £1.79 its pretty much a bargain.

MUA BB all in one beauty balm in light £4 from superdrug

As one who is a lover of MUA, I was very much dissapointed by this BB cream.

It is a very thick and slightly oily consistency, when put on face it takes quite a lot of product. I have tried it on its own and under foundation and each time it wears off, leaving smears or patches on your face, I have even tried setting it with powder.

I think it would work as a concealer for small patches, but it is not good for all over, as MUA is normally excelent value for money, this product is not in that category.  A big let down for me.

Revlon colorburst Lip Butter in Macaroon, rrp £7.99
As of this post this item is on sale at boots for £5

The cover of this product reminds me of 1930's cushions, but it nice, and as much as asthetics are generally important in this case its the product that I'm interested in.

its very lightly colored and the macaroon is very natural, it makes my lips a few shades lighter than natural and a bit more pink, it has quite a sheen on it, but it not over the top glossy. it does have some glitter in it, but its not too much.

when its on your lips its very slick, almost the same feel as when you put vaseline on your lips, It does help to nourish your lips and it is nice to add a splash of color without going too far from you natural shades.

Its major down point is that its really not long lasting. I wore it for over two hours when all I did was talk an shop, however the moment I ate or drank, it all came off. So.. if you don't intend on using your lips then it is a long wearing product but far from kiss proof!

It does hydrate your lips and compared to a normal lip salve it is much better if you want a made up look. During the height of winter or summer this will be a good product to help prevent lip problems but still stay stylish, however for me at the full price of £7.99 this product seems a little over priced for a vaseline style product with some color and glitter. Having said that I will be repurchasing and trying other colors, but will only buy if its on offer!

What do you think of the Lip Butter? Do you have any similar products for a good price?

Eylure Dyelash 45 day Mascara rrp £7.10, Long lasting color for dark, glossy lashes and brows.

So I spotted this little kit in Tesco and thought id give it a go. I don't have very dark lashes and only really end up with nice ones after a pile of mascara, the main problem is that the tips of my lashes are clear so you cant see them unless they are covered!

Where to start, I'm going to start with the instruction: they are clear and easy to follow but the protection strips are crap, I ended up doing the dye and not using the strips, I just kept wiping away any marks with damp cotton wool. The wand that it comes with is not fantastic, but it just about does the job.

The time waiting is the hardest thing as they ask you to keep you eye shut and only dye one eye at a time. Let me tell you, I thought this would be simple, IT IS NOT, it is really hard to keep one eye shut for 5-10 mins.

The results are pretty good, they are not as magical as I had hoped but they are darker right to the tips, for me the biggest improvement is my under eye lashes as they are normally not seen at all. I think that for just over £7 and up to 12 uses, with each application lasting up to 6 weeks (depending on how fast your lashes grow) its not a bad price for the effect. If you want eye-popping lashes that can stop a man with a single look (I felt like quoting memoirs of a geisha), then normal mascara is still your best bet. but for a much more natural look that just adds some slight length and slight more volume this is a good product. Plus not having to do it for another 6 weeks is a bonus.

Rimmel Wake me up foundation in ivory by rimmel rrp £5.99

My friend put me onto this little beauty, what can I say apart from I love it so much, its an almost exact dupe for touche eclat for £25 less!

It comes in a number of shades and though they arn't numerous if you can find one in your shade you should be laughing. I find that the texture is good and smooth, it goes on really easily and blends into your face even using your fingers. For a cheap drug store foundation it is one of the best I have used. it is not powdery, greasy or dry, I did not find that it left my face greasy or dry once removed and seemed to nourish it a little bit too. It will also be good for summer as it is SPF15.

In comparison to the touche eclat foundation, this one does not have quite so good coverage, however it is very buildable and only takes about one coat more to get the desired effect. Also it does not have the nice velvet/soft texture once dry that the eclat does, not to say that it feels bad, it just feels like you skin really. For £25 less I can easily live with those two minor things.

This may not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me and it is a product that I will be repurchasing and using a lot in the near future until I find something that surpasses it or it ends up being discontinued!

Quickly minimise the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals.

Porefessional is a primer that is designed to fill in pores and create a smooth surface for you to apply your make up. I personally don't have a lot of pores and find that even though this is great I would only suggest using for areas of your face that may be problematic, for me that is my nose, and stick to cheaper products or primers for the rest of you face.

I found it to be a little gooey, but once applied it dried well and really did blend into my face and make my pores disappear. I only use it as a primer eventhough it can be used on top of make up. I personally also find that when you use a primer with make up it lessens the amount of spots I may get, because your not clogging up your pores or skin with the oils/powders, you are keeping your skin healthier. A little also goes a long way with this product with does make it good value for the money.

i do like this product and at £23 its not the most expensive primer out there, but I find that MUA primer for only £3 a bottle does the trick just fine. I will use the porefessional for my nose and perhaps cheeks in the summer but I won't be using it for my whole face, as I said a little goes a long way and by only using in areas of your face that have large pores you will make the bottle last even longer!

I pretty much have you use some form of lip balm or vaseline everday for my lips, otherwise they dry out and crack. In the summer its the heat and in the winter its the cold, all I can say is I can't win!

It may sound strange but I have an allergy to Aloe Vera and can't use any products that contain it, especially when its on the more sensitive areas; face, hair, lips, underarms & other more personal areas.

I found these one day in Claire's and fell in love. I love all the drinks and all I could think is that I have to try them, they can't be any worse than anything else. They are a little prices in comparison to normal nivea or vaseline lips products but OMG the smells are amazing.

They are all clear or have a hint of slight redness to them, they all smell just like the drinks, though taste is not so clear. Coca cola and orange fanta are the best for smell and taste. there is also a purple fanta (not pictured) that smell and tastes like parmaviolets, for anyone who likes nostalgia and to feel like a child!

They are all good, they nourish and last the same amount of time as any other lip balm. the only one I have any problem with is the sprite, though it smells like sprite it tastes more like vaseline and its white, so unless you put the barest amount on your lips you end up looking a little ill.

All in all these are great little lip balms, not too badly priced around £2.50 each or a pack is normally between £7 and £15, depending on the amount in a pack. I have found them in claire's, Primark and now Tesco. With Christmas around the corner I would say that they would be a great stocking filler or perfect little gift to bulk out someones presents. Definitely worth the money!